The purpose of the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template is to assist Federal contracting officials in making preliminary assessments regarding the availability of commercial Electronic and Information Technology products and services with features that support accessibility. It is assumed that offerers will provide additional contact information to facilitate more detailed inquiries.

The first table of the Template provides a summary view of the section 508 Standards. The subsequent tables provide more detailed views of each subsection. There are three columns in each table. Column one of the Summary Table describes the subsections of subparts B and C of the Standards. The second column describes the supporting features of the product or refers you to the corresponding detailed table, "e.g., equivalent facilitation." The third column contains any additional remarks and explanations regarding the product. In the subsequent tables, the first column contains the lettered paragraphs of the subsections. The second column describes the supporting features of the product with regard to that paragraph. The third column contains any additional remarks and explanations regarding the product.

Section 1194.21 Software Applications and Operating Systems — Detail

Criteria

Supporting features

Remarks and explanations

(a) When software is designed to run on a system that has a keyboard, product functions shall be executable from a keyboard where the function itself or the result of performing a function can be discerned textually.

Supports

Authors will need to ensure that components they use in AIR applications support keyboard accessibility.

(b) Applications shall not disrupt or disable activated features of other products that are identified as accessibility features, where those features are developed and documented according to industry standards. Applications also shall not disrupt or disable activated features of any operating system that are identified as accessibility features where the application programming interface for those accessibility features has been documented by the manufacturer of the operating system and is available to the product developer.

Supports with Exceptions

AIR applications do not support high-contrast modes in Windows.

Audio cues are not relayed using the SoundSentry feature in Windows.

(c) A well-defined on-screen indication of the current focus shall be provided that moves among interactive interface elements as the input focus changes. The focus shall be programmatically exposed so that Assistive Technology can track focus and focus changes.

Supports

AIR supports on-screen indication of current focus, and uses a focus manager to expose focus programmatically. Authors will need to ensure that components they use in AIR applications also utilize on-screen indicators and respect focus changes.

(d) Sufficient information about a user interface element including the identity, operation, and state of the element shall be available to Assistive Technology. When an image represents a program element, the information conveyed by the image must also be available in text.

Supports with Exceptions

Adobe AIR 3.9 exposes accessibility information for applications built using Flash and Flex technologies. Authors will need to ensure that they have built their applications using accessible development practices. Assistive technology is not supported in HTML or PDF components.

(e) When bitmap images are used to identify controls, status indicators, or other programmatic elements, the meaning assigned to those images shall be consistent throughout an application's performance.

Supports

Authors will need to ensure that this requirement is met.

(f) Textual information shall be provided through operating system functions for displaying text. The minimum information that shall be made available is text content, text input caret location, and text attributes.

Supports with Exceptions

Authors will need to ensure that this requirement is met. Adobe AIR does not expose textual information in HTML or PDF components.

AIR does not check user-selected contrast and color. Authors can build director support for color contrast and display preferences into AIR applications.

(h) When animation is displayed, the information shall be displayable in at least one non-animated presentation mode at the option of the user.

Supports

Authors will need to ensure that this requirement is met.

(i) Color coding shall not be used as the only means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visual element.

Supports

Authors will need to ensure that this requirement is met.

(j) When a product permits a user to adjust color and contrast settings, a variety of color selections capable of producing a range of contrast levels shall be provided.

Supports

Authors will need to ensure that this requirement is met.

(k) Software shall not use flashing or blinking text, objects, or other elements having a flash or blink frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz.

Supports

Authors will need to ensure that this requirement is met.

(l) When electronic forms are used, the form shall allow people using Assistive Technology to access the information, field elements, and functionality required for completion and submission of the form, including all directions and cues.

Supportswith Exceptions

Authors will need to ensure that this requirement is met. HTML- and PDF-based forms are not supported.

a) All analog television displays 13 inches and larger, and computer equipment that includes analog television receiver or display circuitry, shall be equipped with caption decoder circuitry which appropriately receives, decodes, and displays closed captions from broadcast, cable, videotape, and DVD signals. As soon as practicable, but not later than July 1, 2002, widescreen digital television (DTV) displays measuring at least 7.8 inches vertically, DTV sets with conventional displays measuring at least 13 inches vertically, and stand-alone DTV tuners, whether or not they are marketed with display screens, and computer equipment that includes DTV receiver or display circuitry, shall be equipped with caption decoder circuitry which appropriately receives, decodes, and displays closed captions from broadcast, cable, videotape, and DVD signals.

Not applicable

AIR is not capable of displaying analog television signals.

(b) Television tuners, including tuner cards for use in computers, shall be equipped with secondary audio program playback circuitry.

Not applicable

AIR is not capable of displaying analog television signals.

(c) All training and informational video and multimedia productions which support the agency's mission, regardless of format, that contain speech or other audio information necessary for the comprehension of the content, shall be open or closed captioned.

Supports

Adobe AIR 3.9 includes support for decoding and displaying closed caption data embedded in H.264 video files for live and non-live captioning of video when used in conjunction with Adobe Primetime. Playback of video without Adobe Primetime supports delivery of caption data but requires that authors develop caption display rendering logic in order to present captions to end users.

(d) All training and informational video and multimedia productions which support the agency's mission, regardless of format, that contain visual information necessary for the comprehension of the content, shall be audio described.

Supports

Video and multimedia content displayed in AIR can have audio descriptions associated with it.

Section 1194.31 Functional Performance Criteria — Detail

Criteria

Supporting features

Remarks and explanations

(a) At least one mode of operation and information retrieval that does not require user vision shall be provided, or support for Assistive Technology used by people who are blind or visually impaired shall be provided.

Supports

Authors will need to ensure that this requirement is met.

(b) At least one mode of operation and information retrieval that does not require visual acuity greater than 20/70 shall be provided in audio and enlarged print output working together or independently, or support for Assistive Technology used by people who are visually impaired shall be provided.

Supports

Authors will need to ensure that this requirement is met.

(c) At least one mode of operation and information retrieval that does not require user hearing shall be provided, or support for Assistive Technology used by people who are deaf or hard of hearing shall be provided.

Supports

Adobe AIR 3.9 includes support for decoding and displaying closed caption data embedded in H264 video files for live and non-live captioning of video when used in conjunction with Adobe Primetime. Playback of video without Adobe Primetime supports delivery of caption data but requires that authors develop caption display rendering logic in order to present captions to end users.

Audio cues are not relayed using the SoundSentry feature in Windows.

(d) Where audio information is important for the use of a product, at least one mode of operation and information retrieval shall be provided in an enhanced auditory fashion, or support for assistive hearing devices shall be provided.

Supports

Authors will need to ensure that this requirement is met.

(e) At least one mode of operation and information retrieval that does not require user speech shall be provided, or support for Assistive Technology used by people with disabilities shall be provided.

Supports

AIR does not require user speech.

(f) At least one mode of operation and information retrieval that does not require fine motor control or simultaneous actions and that is operable with limited reach and strength shall be provided.

Supports

Components can be controlled using the keyboard. Authors will need to ensure that this requirement is met.